The students, who were speaking in separate interviews with the Junior Graphic in some parts of the country, said although they have heard about the benefits of the system, they were not sure how smooth it would be when it begins, while others also confessed that they did not understand the system at all and, therefore, were not sure how things would go.

A student of the Infant Jesus Complex, Miss Faustina Kombert, told the Junior Graphic that the double track system would help ease pressure on the few facilities that existed in the schools and help to create space for all qualified Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates to be enrolled in SHSs, report Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Biiya Mukusah Ali from Sunyani.

Miss Kombert said the system would also help to decongest classrooms and dormitories of the various schools to save students from contracting communicable diseases so that they would have a sound mind to study and produce good results at the end of their education.

A student of the Saint James Junior High School, Master Henry Oppong Baah, also supported the double-track system, explaining that it will help reduce the number of students in classrooms.

That, according to him, would help teachers to monitor the activities of students such as assignments, class work among others to make students study seriously and obtain good results.

A Form Three student of the Twene Amanfo SHS/Technical School in Sunyani, Miss Patience Antwiwaa said the new system could cause problems and said the long periods that students would stay at home could pose problems for them if they did not have proper supervision from their parents.

Samuel Duodu reports also from Tamale in the Northern Region that most of the students interviewed were not happy about the introduction of the system.

Miss Rebecca Alhassan of the Kids Active Foundation School, Tamale, said since some students were slow learners and, therefore, need enough time to study before they can grasp what is taught in the classroom, they (students) would not have enough time to prepare well towards the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

“I think the government should maintain the three -term system.That will give students the opportunity to prepare well before they write the final exam,” she added.

Nindow Elijah of the St Charles Minor Seminary SHS, Tamale, said“extra classes would have been the best way to study during the period they saty at home, but the cost involved is so high.

I know the government has introduced the system in order to absorb more students under the free SHS policy but I suggest that the three terms should be maintained and students should rather pay fees.”
Some students in Ho have also expressed their misgivings about the system reports Mary Anane- Amponsah.

Master Togbe Jiamel, a Form Two student of the St Paul’s SHS, said the double-track system was confusing.

“Those of us in school already don’t understand how the system will work.

We are told more teachers would be trained but the programme will start soon so when will the teachers undergo the training? Will this not affect the output of the teachers because they will have divided attention and they will not put in their best,” he said.

Deborah Oluwamuyiwa reports from Cape Coast that Miss Erica Tetteh, a JHS graduate said the government should have taken time to educate students who will be enrolled in September on how it would run, for them to understand it well and prepare adequately for it.

Miss Wendy Tetteh, another JHS graduate, said “My siblings who are in the SHS have constantly complained of how uncomfortable they are in school because there is not enough space and I hope the double track system will help correct it”, she said.

Some students in Accra say they are cautiously optimistic about the double-track Senior High School (SHS) system which would be rolled out from this academic year, Emmanuel Bonney writes.

Miss Bernice Kyei, a former student of the Ngleshie Amanfro JHS said, “When I heard about it I said eh, what is our education system coming up to?. The public discussions on the system made me even more confused”.

Another JHS graduate, Master Emmanuel Anderson said for him, he was happy about the fact that over 180,000 graduates, who would have missed SHS because of the lack of vacancies would be in school.

Master Anderson, who attended the Odukpong Kpehe School, expressed the hope that the problems encountered during the implementation of the free SHS would not recur.